My name is Albert Schneider, and I am a stroke survivor. On May 31, 2020, after getting out of the shower, I became dizzy and collapsed onto my bed. My family called 911 and I was taken to Danbury Hospital Emergency Room on a stretcher. Two days later, I woke up in Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York, with no recollection of what had happened over the prior 36 hours. There was an External Ventricular Drain (EVD) inserted in my head and I was told that I had an intracerebral hemorrhage (a.k.a. a brain bleed). While I was recovering in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) several days later, the hospital staff noticed that my behavior changed and determined after an MRI that I had a hemorrhagic stroke. The stroke affected my cognitive ability, speech, and motor skills primarily on my right side.
A week after the stroke, I was transferred to an acute rehabilitation center, Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, New York, for two weeks, of six sessions a day, of intensive speech, occupational, and physical therapy. On June 27th, 2020, I was released from the hospital and spent the next five months going to outpatient therapy at Nuvance Health Rehabilitation Services continuing my physical, occupational, and speech therapy in Danbury. Until I felt confident, I chose not to drive for six months, alone, after my stroke.
Over the past three years, I have regained most of my capabilities. To the average person or to someone who does not know me well, my physical limitations (mostly stability and endurance) are hardly noticeable. I push myself to work out at least three times a week to improve my strength and balance. The causes of my brain bleed and stroke remain undiagnosed, ruling out high blood pressure, AFIB, and other common causes. In what is believed to be an unrelated event, in 2016, I also had brain surgery to remove a macro pituitary adenoma, a benign tumor the size of a grape that impaired my vision and damaged my pituitary gland.
The key to my recovery has been the tremendous support from my family and friends, the skilled and caring medical professionals who took care of me, and my own perseverance (or some would say drive and/or stubbornness).
I have been married for 33 years, have two children, and am a resident of Danbury, Connecticut.
Lastly, I believe that every stroke survivor and caregiver can benefit from joining a support group, e.g. Survivors 4 Survivors. I was primarily focused on improving my mental health, however I have also experienced other social and physical benefits.
A week after the stroke, I was transferred to an acute rehabilitation center, Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw, New York, for two weeks, of six sessions a day, of intensive speech, occupational, and physical therapy. On June 27th, 2020, I was released from the hospital and spent the next five months going to outpatient therapy at Nuvance Health Rehabilitation Services continuing my physical, occupational, and speech therapy in Danbury. Until I felt confident, I chose not to drive for six months, alone, after my stroke.
Over the past three years, I have regained most of my capabilities. To the average person or to someone who does not know me well, my physical limitations (mostly stability and endurance) are hardly noticeable. I push myself to work out at least three times a week to improve my strength and balance. The causes of my brain bleed and stroke remain undiagnosed, ruling out high blood pressure, AFIB, and other common causes. In what is believed to be an unrelated event, in 2016, I also had brain surgery to remove a macro pituitary adenoma, a benign tumor the size of a grape that impaired my vision and damaged my pituitary gland.
The key to my recovery has been the tremendous support from my family and friends, the skilled and caring medical professionals who took care of me, and my own perseverance (or some would say drive and/or stubbornness).
I have been married for 33 years, have two children, and am a resident of Danbury, Connecticut.
Lastly, I believe that every stroke survivor and caregiver can benefit from joining a support group, e.g. Survivors 4 Survivors. I was primarily focused on improving my mental health, however I have also experienced other social and physical benefits.
